Why is everything just like Lost nowadays?

mikey_boson

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Ok, so it is probably an exaggeration saying that EVERYTHING is just like Lost but more often that not, new TV series seem to be highly influenced by Lost.

I really loved Lost, well up until the final series anyway, but as I think most people would agree, it had a massive following throughout it's 6 seasons. I know that there had been quite a number of previous drama series which left you hanging at the end of each episode but, and I'm happy to be corrected, Lost was probably the most popular of recent times.

Apart from Lost I've never really watched another tv series structured in a similar way (before or after) but I've seen plenty of promos for new tv shows and I've seen glimpses of other shows that family members have watched. And I can't believe how similar many of the characters in these new shows look like Lost characters as well as having what seems to be similar roles in their respective shows.

A family member watched The Walking Dead for the first season (and maybe a bit longer) and I overheard some of the show and I couldn't believe how similar some of the characters sounded (personality-wise) to Lost people. I heard someone who sounded just like Jack i.e. the main lead guy who was tough and strong but would help others and wouldn't necessarily be the alpha male around women. I heard a guy who spoke similar to Sawyer (accent-wise) who also sounded like he only looked after himself and would be able to get the ladies far easier due to his bad boy attitude. Another guy sounded similar to John Locke insomuch as he generally remained calm but almost took pleasure from disagreeing with and undermining the main guy i.e. Jack. Now before anyone says anything, I will just state now that I haven't watched The Walking Dead at all. My observation is solely based on a small amount of aural evidence but even so, I was still surprised at how similar the characters interacted with one another when compared to Lost.

Moving on, I was flicking through my tv guide the other day and notice an advert from Sky. As I have no interest at all in purchasing Sky tv I almost always tear out the advert and throw it away. However, within the advert something caught my eye, a promo picture for True Blood Season 7. Well I have no idea what this show is about; I think I may have heard about it before but I'm not sure on that. Basically, it's a totally unknown quantity to me. Anyway, the reason the promo picture caught my eye is because the characters in it looked almost identical to the guys from Lost. Just check out this link of the image I am talking about: http://i.huffpost.com/gen/1802445/thumbs/o-TRUE-BLOOD-SEASON-7-facebook.jpg
From left to right the people look like they could be the body doubles of: Sawyer, Charlie, Kate or Claire, JACK!!!! and John Locke. I mean the guy who looks like Jack is dressed virtually the same as Jack's character and has the same beard.

Lastly, there is this new show that has recently started in the UK: The 100. I only see the trailers for each episode when watching the channel that it airs on but once again, it seems to be uncannily like Lost. A group of people trying to survive in a jungle/forest-type environment, there's people already on earth who are similar to Lost's Others, and I've read somewhere that there's a smoke-monster (or similar) too.

Once again, I don't watch the above tv shows so I could be completely wrong but from the brief encounters I have had with them, it seems that a lot of their framework is modeled around the Lost set-up. Character's personalities, character's appearances, even the series' themes all seem to have many elements taking straight from Lost. Now I'm not saying that taking inspiration from something else is bad, not all. On the contrary, it is almost flattering to the show that is having inspiration taken from it. However, it just seems that using the skeleton of Lost is the starting point for many new shows. Yes, Lost was successful but it isn't the only way to do something. And what with me being a huge Lost fan (who re-watched each of the seasons on numerous occasions and spent ages discussing the storyline on numerous forums) I end up noticing themes in new shows when they have a resemblance to Lost.

Lastly, a point I've eluded a little throughout my thread is that I'm directing my comments at American dramas predominantly. I'm not having a dig by the way, it's just that a lot of American TV shows find their way onto UK screens. However, it is generally American shows which contain the strong Lost themes. Yes, on their own merit these shows are probably really good to watch, it's just that quite a bit of the framework of each show looks like it has been borrowed from the 'Lost Guide On How To Create A TV Drama Series.'

Anyway, these are just my thoughts on a number of observations I've noticed in recent years. And I don't know if anyone else has noticed Lost popping up in preceding shows....
 
I think this is a massively unfair assumption to make based on the examples you've given since you haven't watched any one of them. To address why characters seem similar; there's a rule in the film & TV world that there are only 7 characters. You can change their gender, their backstory, their name or whatever, but when you boil it down they're the same character. All 7 characters might not appear in everything, I think the rule is you need a minimum of 3. There are Jack's and Locke's in just about everything. And the reason some characters sound like Sawyer is because of the setting. The Walking Dead is set in Georgia - roughly the same area that Sawyer is from.

I think Lost is one of the most important TV shows of our generation, because it has really re-shaped the way we look at the whole medium. There were shows before it like The Sopranos that are an exception, but there was never really anything before it that engaged the audience so effectively. It had a good solid concept behind it, and they went from strength to strength after that to build on it. The characters were extremely strong and likeable, or in the right cases unlikeable. It had a decent sized budget behind it as well which helped give it that final push into the show it became. All of this has influenced TV today as others have picked up the same formula, and audiences have realised exactly how good TV shows can be.

I think because you're such a big fan of Lost, you knows the ins and outs of it better than most people and because of that you're likely to see a lot of similarities in a show that was so hugely influential.
 
How can you make comparisons when you haven't seen/watched TWD for yourself lmao. First do that and then come back. I have watched both shows and I think your assumptions are limited because they are secondhanded and perspectives are off. I hated Jack with a passion because he is a pussy. Rick is awesome.
There is always going to be one bad guy and one hero, but Rick isn't afraid to make decisions. Jack is always in constant selfconflict. Rick is not. Many more exampled but oh well....
 
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